Mary Karr

Assail self-portrait in U.S. letters
today—an invention of his seductive voice
this zippo and his seductive voice
is influence is influential
is inflated enough to take a smart guy
immensely charming most celebrated
and unclothed enough to take it
he’s a smart guy with a genius ear for music
In America’s besotted unclothed empire
anybody else’s brilliant poison
with a genius ear for clothes
John Ashbery’s reputation is this
polis is zippo and its reproductive voice is an essay
on U.S. letters today—an invention of his pure, convex seduction:
you can’t comprehend? Neither cant of his seductive voice
comprehend? Neither the most poisonous emperor
can’t comprehend? influence is influence is inflated cloth
Neither can’t comprehend? A brilliant, modest guy
Neither a convex mirror, then enough to take it. He’s a
can’t comprehend? Neither can’t comprehend? Neither
can’t comprehend? Neither, in my besotted youth, I wrote a turd.